Improvement in inland transportation



'J."A.-GOLLINS. Inland Transportation.

No. 214,886. Patented April 29,1879

ATTORNEYS N. PETERS, PNOTO-LII'HOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON u C UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. OOLLINS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN INLAND TRANSPORTATION.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,886, dated April29, 1879; application filed March 21, 1879.

To all whom it-may concer'n:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. OoLLrNs, of New Orleans, in the parish ofOrleans, and in the State of Louisiana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Inland Trans portation; and do hereby declarethat the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in a device for transporting freightand passengers over swampy and other places where it would beinconvenient or impossible to build ordinary railroad-trackssufficiently firm to support a train of cars, as will be hereinaftermore fully set forth.

- In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, inwhich-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is an end viewof the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view of one of the rails with thegrappling-hook holding thereon. Fig. 4 is a view of one form ofgrappling-hook that may be used for connecting the car with the tractionrope or wire.

A represents a balloon or float, made of silk or other suitablematerial, in the form of an ellipse or cylinder, in length about twicethe size of the diameter, and varnished with caoutchouc orotherelasticvarnish impervious to gases. This balloon or float isinflated with coal-gas of about one-sixth the weight of air, or withhydrogen or other suitable gas.

The balloon or float is provided with a suitable netting, B, to which aniron frame, 0, is attached, and longitudinally through this frame ispassed an iron rod, bar, or beam, E.

D is a car suspended from the rod or bar E by means of wire ropes orother suitable fastenings. The car D being thus suspended from thecenter causes it to maintain an upright position at all times, theweight or load resting on the bottom of the car.

G G represent posts, set at suitable intervals in the ground across theplace to be traversed, and these posts support two parallel lines ofrails, F, constructed substantially in the form shown in Fig. 3.

Between the rails F in each post is mounted a grooved pulley, I, overwhich passes a wire rope, a. This wire rope is to be put in motion by aseries of stationary engines placed at proper intervals.

To the center, at each end of the frame 0, is attached a draft-rope, b,which is connected by'clamps or hooks with the wire rope a, and saidwire rope being in motion gives a forward or backward motion to the carand float.

Guide-ropes d d are also connected to one or both ends of the frame,which guide-ropes are attached to double guide-hooks H H, and thesehooks embrace the rails F F, as shown.

The clamps or grappling-hooks which connect the draft-ropes b with thewire rope a are to be constructed so as to be opened by lines passingfrom them through sheaves at the center of the end of the frame 0 to areel under control of the conductor in the front of the car, by whichmeans said draft-ropes may be detached from the wire rope in a moment,and the car and float stopped by the guide-ropes d by means of thefriction of the guide-hooks H upon the rails F.

In operation the car and float are drawn by the draft-ropes b and moveforward, guided by the guide-hooks H, which slide along the rails F, andto the form of which they conform, and their friction on the top of therails is relieved by the pulleys h h, mounted in the guide-hooks abovethe rails.

When it is desired to stop the car the grappling-hooks are opened torelease them from the wire rope a, and the guide-ropes d are drawn uponhard enough to cause a sufficient friction of the guide-hooks H upon therails to stop the car and float.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. A float or balloon forfloating the weight to be moved, in combination with a wire rope, or itsequivalent, and means for moving said wire rope, substantially as hereinset forth.

2. The combination of a floator balloon, a car suspended therefrom, amoving traction rope or wire for giving motion thereto, and tractionrope or wire, substantially as and for guide-rails for directing thecourse, substanthe purposes herein set forth.

tially as herein set forth. In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 3.The combination of the float A, netting have hereunto set my hand this21st day of B, frame C, With central rod E, and the ear D, llIa-rch,1879.

ggtbggazillnally as and for the purposes herein COLLINS 4. Thecombination of the frame (J and car Witnesses:

D, suspended from a float, A, the ropes d, C. L. EVERT,

guide-hooks H, with pulleys h, the rails F, and l G. W. ANDERSON.

